She was recently announced as a cast member of the upcoming Yellowstone spin-off series The Madison.
And now, Danielle Vasinova is opening up about her memories of one of her greatest trials: the brutal battle with Covid-19 that left her legally dead for three minutes.
The 42-year-old actress – who previously accused her ex-boyfriend, Shark Tank star Robert Herjavec, of rape – was struck by the pandemic-causing illness in late 2019, leading to doctors initially misdiagnosing her due to their lack of familiarity with the disease. new virus.
“On December 12, 2019, I died for three minutes,” Vasinova — who also appeared in an episode of Yellowstone co-creator Taylor Sheridan’s prequel series 1923 — shared People on Thursday.
She admitted that she assumed it was just the standard flu she suffered from in the early days of her illness, and that doctors were then of little help before some areas went into lockdown and many businesses temporarily closed.
Vasinova was diagnosed with strep throat and given a prescription for antibiotics after visiting an emergency room as the illness became increasingly serious.
Yellowstone spinoff star Danielle Vasinova, 42, revealed to People on Thursday that she “died for three minutes” while battling Covid-19 in December 2019; pictured in June 2023 in LA
The actress thought she had the flu before being misdiagnosed with strep throat. But after going to the emergency room, she collapsed. After doctors restarted her heart, she was put into an induced coma and transferred to intensive care
“But the next day I could barely walk,” she recalls. ‘My legs wouldn’t move. It was bizarre.’
By 2 a.m. it was clear to her that something was seriously wrong.
“I felt like I was going to die,” she admitted.
The celebrity rider said her uncle dropped her off at an emergency room, which may have been the key to saving her life, although he was greeted by a shocking sight when he returned to visit her in her hospital room.
“He said people were running around me, and a little girl jumped on my chest and started pumping, pumping, pumping,” she told People. ‘And then he saw my heart rate on the monitor just going. Flat-lined.’
According to Vasinova, three full minutes passed without any cardiac activity. During that time, a nurse continued chest compressions, and her heart eventually started beating again.
At that point, doctors transferred Vasinova to the hospital’s intensive care unit, where she was put into an induced coma in the hope of keeping her alive.
She said she was suffering from “complete organ failure” at the time as the novel coronavirus ravaged her body.
Vasinova suffered ‘complete organ failure’, but she made a miraculous recovery; pictured in March in LA
She had no visions during her ‘death’, but she now sees the presence of angels in life and notices unusual repeating numbers such as ‘5555’ or ‘7777’; seen in LA in February 2020, shortly after her recovery
“I went from young and healthy to this infection suddenly completely taking over my body,” she said. “It just took off and it turned my world upside down.”
The experience did not leave Vasinova with the clichéd memories that people whose hearts have not been beating for a long time sometimes remember, but she nevertheless felt that a higher power was protecting her.
“I didn’t see the light or the tunnel, but they say it can come back to you in flashbacks,” she admitted.
But then she began to see the presence of angels in her daily life, and began noticing unusual number sequences, such as “5555” or “7777.”
‘It was bizarre, but something told me: ‘There’s something else for you. You weren’t supposed to go yet. You were meant to do something different,” she said.
Vasinova described her brief “death and rebirth” as a “turning point” for her that left her feeling “much more connected.” Now she is grateful for everything life has to offer her.
“Life is so precious and it’s such a gift,” she mused. “We are here to do good in the world, to serve, and to be forever grateful.”
Later, after she recovered, Vasinova was happy to share her gratitude with the ER nurse, who did not give up on her until her heart started again.
Vasinova later found the nurse who died of chest compressions and saved her life during an emotional reunion. She gave her a bracelet decorated with a ruby as ‘Thank you for saving my life’; seen on November 20 in NYC
Vasinova was announced this week as the star of the Yellowstone spin-off The Madison. Michelle Pfeiffer will lead the show as Stacy, a New Yorker who moves to a ranch in Montana; seen in June 2023 in NYC
Vasinova, who is of Native descent, was announced to play Kestrel, “a Native woman married to a Montana rancher who lives in a double-wide trailer with her family.” [Stacy’s] farm’; pictured on November 20 in NYC
She presented the miracle worker with a bracelet decorated with a ruby as ‘Thank you for saving my life.’
“I didn’t know if she would recognize me, but when she opened the door, I started crying, and she just lost it,” the actress said. “She told me she never knows who will live or die after they are transferred. She just gave me the biggest hug. Because I had been gone for a full three minutes. But I came back.’
Now things are looking better than ever for Vasinova, who was announced earlier this week as part of the cast of the upcoming Yellowstone spinoff The Madison, which will star Michelle Pfeiffer.
Vasinova, who is of Native descent, will play Kestrel, “a Native woman married to a Montana rancher who lives with her family in a double-wide trailer [Pfeiffer’s character Stacy’s] ranch,” according to the show’s official logline.
The show is described as a “heartfelt study of grief and human connection following a New York City family in the Madison River valley of central Montana.”